Florida counties lack space in hurricane shelters

NAPLES, Fla. - According to a recent study, most Florida counties lack enough space in hurricane shelters for a major hurricane evacuation.

The Naples Daily News reported Sunday that Southwest Florida has the highest shelter shortage and is especially vulnerable because of low-lying land and proximity to large water bodies.

The study by Florida's Division of Emergency Management found Lee County does not have room for any of the projected 64,000 residents that would evacuate in a Category 4 or 5 storm and Collier County could only accommodate 5,784 of the expected 25,568 evacuees in a major storm.

Local officials say the study was intended to gauge worst-scenarios with the highest storm surges and winds. They say each storm is different and they have contingency plans for various scenarios.

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